Statesman Group of Companies

Maintenance-free, lock-and-leave condo living might seem like a relatively new trend, but the founder of Statesman Group of Companies saw it coming years ago.

“Dr. Garth Mann had the foresight to see multifamily was going to be the future of housing,” says sales manager Mike Sali of the optometrist-turned-Statesman head. “And (he feels today that) over the next 10 years, multifamily is going to be even more in the forefront as demand for single-family housing decreases.”

Since Mann started Statesman in 1976, it has become known for developing “communities within communities,” Sali says. “We find beautiful locations that might have been skipped over. And it’s ultimately that lock-and-leave lifestyle that people want, whether they’re emptynesters, semi-retired, or don’t want the maintenance of a house.”

Statesman’s newest Calgary developments include the Groves of Varsity, featuring larger condos in the 1,200-sq.-ft. range, close to the C-Train and shopping, and The Landings in Cougar Ridge, garden villas offering 180-degree panoramic videos of the Bow River Valley.

Statesman also expanded into the U.S. market in the 1990s and is developing Toscana of Desert Ridge, a resort community near Scottsdale, Ariz.

“Toscana is on a 50-acre site and we’ve sold over half of it already,” says Sali. “And Statesman doesn’t just build condos — we build amenities like health clubs, pools, and there are activities all the time. It’s a really neat lifestyle.”

Toscana is close to attractions such as the Marriott Golf Resort and Desert Ridge Marketplace, a huge open-air shopping and entertainment centre.

For more information on these opportunities, visit grovesofvarsity.com, cougarridgelandings.com and toscanaofdesertridge.com.